| Season | 1978–79 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 24 | ||||
| Finals site | Madison Square Garden New York City | ||||
| Champions | Indiana Hoosiers (1st title) | ||||
| Runner-up | Purdue Boilermakers (2nd title game) | ||||
| Semifinalists |
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| Winning coach | Bob Knight (1st title) | ||||
| MVP | Butch Carter & Ray Tolbert (Indiana) | ||||
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The 1979 National Invitation Tournament was the 1979 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Indiana University defeated their rival Purdue University 53–52 in the championship game. Purdue appeared in the 1980 NCAA Men's Final Four while Indiana won the national championship at the 1981 NCAA Men's Final Four.